French Country Casserole

I make this a lot because it is super-duper easy. It makes a double batch and I usually freeze half.

Ingredients

• 1 lb kielbasa, cooked,halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 1/2 ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 small onions, separated into rings
• 1/2 cup red wine or beef broth
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1. Saute Onion and garlic til soft.
   
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; transfer to an ungreased 3-quart baking dish.
3. Cover and bake at 375ºF for 60 to 70 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

We had this last night and it was really really good. It has a creaminess you don't usually get with dairy free.

* 1 large onion, chopped
* 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
* 1 pound lean ground beef
* 1tsp corn starch
* 1 can beef broth
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons ketchup
* 1 cup (8 ounces) Tofutti better then sour cream
* Half a regular size box of medium sized pasta shells.

Preparation:
Brown ground beef; drain off excess fat. Add onion, mushrooms, salt, garlic powder, ketchup, and 1/2 can of broth. Cook and stir until onions are soft and liquid has reduced somewhat; Mix 2 tbsp broth with corn starch. While stirring, add remainder of broth to the pan, then add corn starch mixture. Stir in sour cream and heat through. Add cooked pasta and serve.

No Fuss Fajitas

What this dish lacks in smokey, grilled goodness it makes up for in ease of preparation. It is another dish that is so easy there really isn't a recipe.

Ingredients

• A 1 inch thick chuck of beef. We use round steak because it comes in the meat bundle we get from the butcher. (Which by the way is no more expensive then buying your meat at the Evil Empire. Plus you get the benefit of it being fresher since they do the butchering on site. Not to mention you are supporting a local business.)
• A dairy free taco seasoning packet
• Tortillas
• Tofutti sour cream
• Shredded lettuce
• Salsa

Directions

1. Place frozen meat in crockpot and sprinkle it with taco seasoning.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. Slice thin against the grain.
4. Serve on tortillas with condiments.

BBQ Kielbasa

So simple it really isn't a recipe. Eaten by everyone in the family, which can't be said about a lot of things, however.

Ingredients

• One package reduced fat turkey kielbasa, cut into bite sized chunks (we use Kroger brand, make sure your brand is dairy free.)
• About 1/2 cup of bbq sauce (once again, make sure yours is dairy free, many are not, we use Kroger brand.)
• Water to thin the bbq sauce.

Directions

1. Place kielbasa chunks in skillet. Cook til they start to shrink and get brown.
2. Cover with bbq sauce. If your sauce is thick, add water.
3. Serve over french rolls (or whatever dairy free bread you have lying around your house.)

Honey Chicken

This is part of a menu plan. I am going to post all the recipes separately so that they can be searched easier. We tried this last Monday and it is pretty decent. I am not the biggest honey fan and, um, I forgot the soy sauce which I think would have made it much tastier. I am kind of notorious for not following recipes, so I am sure that my mom thinks the fact I have a cooking blog is kind of amusing. Necessity is the mother of invention, and all that...

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon apricot jam
• 3/4 teaspoon soy sauce
• 6 bone-in skinless chicken breast halves (trimmed of fat)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the wheat germ, honey, mustard, apricot jam, and soy sauce until well blended.
3. Arrange the chicken pieces, bone side down, on a baking sheet.
4. Spread the wheat germ mixture evenly over the chicken breasts.
5. Bake until the chicken is opaque throughout and the wheat germ mixture has formed a crust, 35-40 minutes.

Mexican Chicken Corn Casserole

Here is another super simple recipe that is a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 box Spanish rice
• 1/2 cup Tofutti Better Then Sour Cream
• 1 can sliced Black Olives
• 1 cup Salsa
• Half a small bag of frozen corn

Instructions
1. Cook chicken and cube. Set aside.
2. While Chicken is cooking, make rice according to the box, omitting butter.
3. In a bowl (or the pot you cooked the rice in to save washing a dish) mix rice, chicken, Tofutti, olives, salsa, and corn.
4. Transfer to a casserole dish.
5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Almost makes you not miss cheese. Almost.